Poet and children’s author learned to depend on reading

Johnny Ray Moore is a poet, children’s author, greeting cards writer and songwriter in Raleigh. He is author of the upcoming children’s book “Silence Please: A Collection of Children’s Poems” and a book of Chirstmas haikus called “Peace, Goodwill to All.” Both books should be released in 2018.

Recommended read: “A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson” by Michelle Y. Green. It’s a powerful account of how Mamie “Peanut” Johnson made her dream of playing professional baseball come true during a time of unchecked racism. Mamie felt she was born with a baseball in her little hand. She and so many other African American women displayed the stamina and intellect needed to make changes in this world for the better. Eventually, Mamie was able to pitch her way into the history books.

Currently reading: I am currently reading excerpts from “High Flight” by Michelle Y. Green, a yet-to-be-released middle grade novel about a well-known African American Tuskegee airman. This Tuskegee airman just happens to be Michelle’s father. How awesome is that?

Who taught you to love to read? Because my childhood consisted of a bit of poverty, I made up my mind that I would teach myself to do as much as possible. So, I read in order to learn things.

What is your favorite reading memory? While in about the fourth grade, I started collecting “It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power” from the Reader’s Digest. And, one of my favorite things to do was learn those words.